“I missed you too,” I say. I wore my little silver necklace that you gave me the whole time. And I rehearsed saying ‘I’m sorry but have a boyfriend’, just in case anyone asked me out or…”

“Did anyone?” he says.

“No,” I say.

“I’m sorry that no-one asked you out,” he says, sounding amused.

“No, it’s fine. I just missed you. I missed talking to you,” I say.

“Me too, lovely,” he says.

“So, how’s the dissertation,” I say.

“Well, I’ve come in to college to do some graphs because I don’t seem to be able to do them on my computer,” he says. “And I really want to see you very soon – I just have to get this piece of work out of the way and…”

“I know. I want you to do your work,” I say.

“As soon as I’m finished I want to see you – whether it’s at the weekend, realistically next weekend, or in the week or…”

“Look forward to it,” I say.

So, please can you all send him some positive vibes of getting-on-with-the-damn-thing. Miss him!

*1948. By June Wright. “Stars feisty young operator Maggie Byrnes. When one of her more unpopular colleagues is murdered — her head bashed in with a “buttinski,” a piece of equipment used to listen in on phone calls — Maggie resolves to turn sleuth.”